TIE Fighter
Game Info The famous TIE, or Twin Ion Engine, Fighter, is the standard starfighter of the Empire. TIEs are engineered to operate in groups; the stock TIE Fighter will not last long against even a slightly superior foe. Imperial Pilots are able to move up from their Light TIE Fighters and fly the standard ship at Intermediate TIE Combat Craft certification. Though the TIE Fighter is not supposed to have a hyperdrive according to the official Star Wars canon, player TIEs are equipped with a hyperdrive and can use it like any other starfighter. Despite their low offensive capability, standard TIEs are incredibly agile and can make up for their lack of firepower with skilled piloting. Many Alliance Starfighter Pilots have underestimated the powers of a TIE (or "eyeball" in Alliance pilot slang) flown by an able Imperial pilot and paid the price. * TIE Fighter Chassis Blueprints * TIE Fighter Deed - Heavy Variant Star Wars Lore Bursting from Imperial hangar bays in gnat-like clouds are the standard starfighters of the Imperial arsenal—the Twin Ion Engine craft known as the TIE starfighter. The single-seater short-range vessel lacks a hyperdrive, and as such requires deployment from launch bases and capital ships. It features two fire-linked laser cannons chin-mounted on the ball-shaped cockpit. TIE fighters were typically employed en masse to make up for their shortcomings. Speedy and maneuverable, these fighters are nonetheless fragile. Though hard to hit, even a glancing blow can destroy a TIE. Though TIEs presented a formidable challenge to pirates and civilian craft, the skilled pilots of the Rebel Alliance made short work of them in combat. The Alliance workhorse, the T-65 X-wing starfighter, continually bested the TIE in numerous engagements. As the Galactic Civil War raged on, the standard TIE arsenal was supplemented with more advanced and specialized craft, such as the fearsome TIE Interceptor and the dedicated TIE Bomber. During the waning years of the Republic, Republic Sienar Systems first developed the original Twin Ion Engine Fighter, the craft that was the forerunner to the standard Imperial vessel. When Emperor Palpatine cemented his rule, the rechristened Sienar Fleet Systems entered into an exclusive arrangement producing the starfighters of the Imperial Starfleet. With this transition came the upgrated TIE, which went under continual revisions until the TIE/ln Fighter became the standard line starfighter in Imperial use. The hexagonal solar panels supply power to a unique propulsion system. Microparticle accelerators propel ionized gases at a substantial fraction of lightspeed. These gases are then expelled from rear vents to generate thrust. The ion streams can be directed along almost any vector, allowing for the TIE's incredible velocity and maneuverability. The twin ion engines have few moving parts and require comparably less maintenance to the starfighters of the Alliance. TIE fighter units are typically organized into wings—a grouping of 72 fighters carried aboard a Imperial Star Destroyer. These wings are subdivided into six squadrons of 12 fighters each. One of these squadrons is typically made up of TIE interceptors while another consists of TIE bombers. Each squadron consists of three flights of four fighters each. Each flight contains two elements. An element is the smallest tactical unit of starfighters ever deployed, and consists only of a leader and a wingman. TIE production was extremely modular and automated, as the Sienar foundries churned out countless starfighters to fuel the insatiable Imperial war machine. Variant models of the basic TIE include the TIE/rc (a model with advanced sensors and communication gear for reconnaissance missions), the TIE/fc (equipped with accurate fire control and target designation for long-range naval bombardments), the TIE/gt (with an enlarged hull to delivery heavy ordnance). In the new Republic times, Lando Calrissian used TIE fighters whose shields were provided by a nearby station, giving them nearly capital ship class shields, to race through asteroid fields in the sport of "belt running". Sources OS Databank Category:Galactic Empire ships